Unai Simon becomes first goalkeeper to go 519 World Cup minutes without conceding

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon etched his name into World Cup history on Thursday after setting a new record for the longest shutout streak, surpassing a mark that had stood for 36 years.

The 29-year-old Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper achieved the feat during Spain’s 3-0 victory over Austria, recording his fourth consecutive clean sheet at the tournament.

Simon has now gone 519 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal across the past two FIFA World Cups, breaking the previous record of 517 minutes set by Italy legend Walter Zenga during the 1990 World Cup on home soil.

While Simon is not among the tournament’s most high-profile goalkeepers, his consistency behind Spain’s formidable defence has propelled him into the World Cup record books.

Spain remain the only team yet to concede a goal at this year’s tournament, with Simon making just four saves throughout the campaign so far. Against Austria, he was largely untroubled as the Spaniards restricted their opponents to five shots, none of which tested the goalkeeper.

“I feel proud of him,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. “I feel like he is a member of my family. I’m very happy for him.”

Simón has established himself as Spain’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper over the past five years despite competition from David Raya and Joan García, who both enjoyed title-winning campaigns in two of Europe’s biggest leagues.

Unlike his rivals, Simón has spent his entire club career with Athletic Bilbao, helping the Basque club return to the Champions League for the first time in his career last season.

His success with the national team has also been built on a long-standing relationship with De La Fuente, who has consistently backed him despite calls for greater rotation in goal.

The pair first worked together in 2015, when an 18-year-old Simón helped Spain win the European Under-19 Championship in Greece under De La Fuente. They remained together through Spain’s youth ranks before reuniting in 2023, when De La Fuente took charge of the senior national team and oversaw one of the most successful periods in Spain’s recent football history.